Discovery

Two nights ago I stayed up late to watch the shuttle go off into space. Nighttime launches are spectacular and this was no exception.

As the TV announcer spoke, I watched the clock tick down to the final seconds. At the 30 second mark I hurried outside just in time to see the eastern sky begin to light up. When the rockets are lit the sky brightens like the beginning of a sunrise. Suddenly a ball of fire lifts into the sky! It is thrilling to see it so clearly from my front yard! I watched until the boosters fell off, and the shuttle pushed its way into space looking like a new star in the night. Discovery was off! It was worth the loss of sleep. It provided a simple pleasure of human accomplishment.

I breathed a prayer of thanksgiving for the safe lift off, and then added a petition for their safe return. My mind took flight in the wonder of our ability to make this happen! Just as quickly I was awed to hear God speak to my heart that He set in place every scientific, mathematic and physics principle that allowed us to reach for the stars! He designed our world and us for discovery!

God Almighty, Creator of all things, You are wonderful! You amaze me with how you really did make us in Your image! This is the day I am amazed that You are a God of discovery and You invite us into the far reaches of Your universe to know You better! Thank You for this wonderful gift. May I use it with wisdom and truth.

Think

There is much we should think about, but we don't always stop to think. We just blunder our way through making decisions as if we were dealing cards. It is that absence of thought that causes us to cringe when we finally take a look at the hand we have dealt ourselves.

There is a time when we should act quickly with little thought, but I believe that even in those times thought has preceded our actions. If we have been thoughtful about the small decisions, we will be ready to take the chance on the big opportunities that come our way.

I am still working thoughtfully through some small decisions. Someday I hope to be ready to lay a good hand down and gather the pot into my own pocket. Till then I will keep thinking things through in conversations with God and others who walk in wisdom.

Wise God and Father, Thank You for supplying me with the tools to make decisions. You are always available to me when I call. You give me thought and Your word causes me to think rightly. Your thoughts are not my thoughts and Your ways are not my ways, but they are always right and good! You are the greatest thought I have every day!

Invitations

Everyone likes to be invited to join the party, but what about being invited to work, or learn a new skill, or change bad habits, or...well I could go on but you get the idea. What do you want to be invited to join? What do you need to be invited to do?

Invitations came to us throughout our day, and most often we simply pass them by. God sends invitations with His whisper to join Him in a time of prayer or simple conversation about our lives. He may also send an invitation to enjoy creation with the passing of a butterfly or His cloud paintings. He might invite us to forgive or reach out to someone by a simple word or look into their eyes.

I received an email newsletter that listed many invitations that I had never thought of before. These were things like being invited to reach for a dream or take the step toward that dream. The newsletter, "Inspiration Strategies" with Diane Cunningham, made me think a little differently about all the invitations I Receive but never accept.

There is one invitation I accept every day. I am invited daily to allow Jesus to be my Lord and to let His plan rule my life. Though I am not perfect at this, I do make a strong effort to invite Him into the place of honor. It is what makes me want to invite others to join us! Someday in heaven we will meet because we accepted His invitation.

Lord Jesus, I accept Your invitation today. I may not be perfect in my surrender to You, but I have trust in You to make my R.S.V.P. certain! Thank You for inviting me! It will be a great celebration and I would not want to miss it!

School Lessons

This may be the beginning of school, but it is not necessarily the beginning of learning. From the time of our conception our minds and our bodies have learned ideas, concepts, facts, feelings, and actions. It is the way of growth.

I always loved school. I was not an A student though I could have been. I loved school because I learned through instruction as well as my own daydreaming during school time.

Sitting at a desk for hours filling up papers is the established method that we think of when we envision learning. But what about sitting outside watching the path of a butterfly, or the learning we experience as we plant seed and tend it till it blossoms into a flower? What can we learn from work, or leisure, relationships, or loneliness? What might our experiences of celebrations or rituals teach us?

Learning is continuous, and yet there are special moments when learning is easier than others. It can be planned or unplanned, simple or complicated. In contemplating learning I am assured that it is a gift I am invited to embrace and enjoy to the fullest, or lay aside and miss some marvelous things in this world.

The question I have today on the eve of the beginning of a new school year is, what will I learn this year outside of the school room? At this time in my life I want to learn to love better, live more fully, and like who I am in the process. Seems like a tall order and a lot of work ahead. I'll need a good teacher.

All knowing Father, thank You for sending me the perfect teacher. Your life lessons are filled with love, wisdom and grace. I need You to present Your lesson plans to me daily and I commit myself to do the assignments as best I can. I someday want to hear that I passed and You are pleased.

Hush

Shhh. Be still and listen!

By the way, how many voices do you need to hush before you come into the silence? I have quite a few. Music, TV, computer, grandchildren, children, spouse, and even those voices in my own head that are relentless in trying to gain my attention. It is a multi-level task to get them all silenced at the same time, but it is worth the effort.

What do you hear when you quiet yourself? You see, when I walk into the silence, it is then that I begin to hear the sounds of my Creator working in me, around me, and for me. It is His voice I need to hear. I must hear! It is His word that reveals myself and Himself. In the quiet I can hear clearly the only voice that is worthy to be treasured.

I love the words to a song long ago sung but never forgotten: "Speak ,Lord, I long (or love) to listen to your voice. See, Lord, here I am."

Hush, Let us listen to His voice.

Speak , Lord, I am listening!

The Older I Get

The older I get the more I know that I know so little, and even what I thought I knew, I really didn't!

Confusing isn't it? I am finding out that old age (not that I am completely there yet)is confusing. It may be strange, but as I watch my grandchildren learning about the world, I see them face confusion in their lives too. In fact it seems there is confusion all around us!

People walk through life asking questions about what they should do with their lives and what direction they should go next. We are constantly facing new challenges that confuse us and make us wonder if we really know what we are doing here.

Each stage of life has its confusions. Infants see the world only through their comfort. When they grow into children they put great stock on their feelings. The teen years take us through a maze of hormones. Adulthood traps us in the crazy systems of this world. Then comes old age where we take all of these experiences and mix them into a jumbled mess that we thought we had under control!

I, for one, am so blessed to know that God has a plan for me that is not confusing to Him, though it may be for me. I guess if He is the designer, planner and giver then He will be the one to turn to when my mind becomes cloudy with the things I thought I knew.

Creator Father, You see all things clearly and I want to see my world through Your eyes. I believe that You are good and that in your goodness You have placed all my days! Thank You for letting me see in the mirror dimly, so that when I come to You I will see clearly. You will surely show me who You have been for me. Open my eyes to see more of You as I journey through this once again confusing time.

To-Be List

Does your to-do list keep growing like mine? It seems that I check off three items and five more pop up! Yes, some are short timers like balancing the check book, but even that can draw itself out to being a long project if things don't go as planned! Others are the type of projects that last for months and seem to add lots of small items to the list.

Today as I began to check off a few of the waiting list items, I thought about my attitude and the character within me that makes a difference in what and how I do the things I do. I found myself listing the things i wanted to show the world through my work. I call it my to-be list.

I want to be kind, generous, loyal, faithful in the little things, loving and patient among many other virtues. The interesting thing about a to-be list is that the items listed should never be checked off. They should remain constant and lived out day to day!

It is only through a daily relationship with God that I can fall into bed thanking God for all I accomplished and all He accomplished in and through me to-be and to-do!

Holy God, my Father in Heaven, You deserve my praise and thanksgiving ! You walk me through each day offering me Your Spirit to plant the seeds that grow into my to-be list. I know this is the list You are most concerned about in my life, but You graciously allow me a to-do list to satisfy my longing to have purpose and a place in Your kingdom! Thank You for making me Your own, and for having a plan for my every day! You are awesome, Lord!